The Crazy, Beautiful Pirate Captain: Alice Kirkland
by GremlinGirl
Summary: Captain Alice Kirkland is feared by all and loved by none. Alice is also a powerful witch with unimaginable power. She is a heartless killer known for her insanity. When the captain of the Spanish armada decides to try and capture the dreaded pirate, he learns exactly why she is feared. How will it all end for the two sworn enemies? Rated T for violence and language.
1. An Opening

**Alright, so this one has been sitting in a word document, incomplete, for about a year now. So, I finished up the first part of it and decided to post it. This is a chapter story, so there's more to come, I promise. I don't know when I will update, but I would really appreciate it if you gave it a chance. **

**Warning: This story is very bloody, and will probably get worse. If anyone thinks the rating should go up let me know and I will change it. I don't think it's all that bad, but some people are more squeamish than others. **

**This includes Fem!Britain, or Alice Kirkland, and Spain, or Antonio Carriedo. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or any of the characters. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Alice Kirkland stood proudly against the fire coming from the village behind her. Her blonde hair whipped wildly around her scarred face, two emerald eyes shining with delight. The sword clenched in her right hand shined from the red glow behind her. The screams from the villagers reached her ears as she turned, a wicked smile dancing across her face.

She ran through the village with the other pirates, her sword cutting down whomever or whatever stood in her way. Soon her white shirt was stained red and her hands and arms were covered in spots of strangers' blood. Her alabaster skin was a great contrast to the deep red. As soon as she reached the rowboats, the woman jumped in and ordered the men inside to take her to her ship.

She turned her piercing green gaze back on the burning village. The riches had been collected, and the witnesses killed. A normal raid had gone over smoothly. She was happy. As she approached her ship, The Black Fairy, a laugh escaped her. Soon she was laughing harder; her head thrown back, a smile of elation on her lips. The other pirates just looked at each other, knowing about their captain's mood swings, and shrugged. No one dared ask her anything, for her whole crew feared the woman.

This fear was good seeing how the blonde could go from laughing and happy to murderous in mere seconds. No one in his right mind dared to threaten her. Anyone that did was in danger of the metal of her sword or the skin of her fist. Though beautiful of face, she was also a ferocious fighter. Her crew was faithful, whether out of fear or loyalty, she didn't care. If she detected even a hint of mutiny from one of her men, she would kill him on the spot.

The pirate captain suddenly stopped her random laughing to look at her crew. A young man seemed to catch her interest as she zeroed in on him. A smile tugged on her lips as she stood in the small boat. He gulped nervously as the captain stood over him, smiling wickedly. She reached toward him and grabbed his shirt. Ripping him to his feet, she glared right into his dark brown eyes.

He squirmed slightly, trying to find his footing. The younger man turned to his crewmates for help. The rest of the crew diverted their eyes. A chuckle brought the brown eyes back to the glaring emeralds. He flinched slightly. If looks could kill… Finally, she released him and he fell onto the boat's deck. She laughed again. Apparently she had done all of that just for her own entertainment.

Finally, the rowboat reached The Black Fairy. A rope ladder was lowered and Alice immediately grabbed it and climbed it up to the ship. The dark mahogany wood made the ship looked as pristine as the buttons adorning her blood red coat. The other members of the crew followed her up and stood waiting for orders. She turned to face them, her green eyes almost glowing.

"Direct the ship out to sea. We're going to hunt some ships to rob." Her British accent flowed off her tongue smoothly. Though beautiful and innocent, the crew detected the hint of malice in it.

After a few mumbled, "Yes captains," the crew ran off to get the ship moving. She smirked and walked across the deck. Opening the door leading below deck, she walked into the small hallway. Walking to the end of this hallway, past multiple doors that led to other rooms, she came to the large double doors. Opening these, she walked into her quarters.

The room was lavishly furnished with a deep purple couch, a large king sized bed, teak bookcases, and several decorative oil lamps. The bed was covered in a blood red blanket with black pillows. The blonde let out another wicked laugh. She collapsed on the bed. Kicking off her boots, and throwing them across the room along with her coat, she leaned back ready to fall asleep. A knock disturbed the woman and she sat up gripping at the blanket.

"Captain! Captain! There's a problem!" the frantic voice from the other side of the door yelled. She didn't respond, scowling at the door, upset about being interrupted. It was probably some trivial matter anyway. "Captain!" the man yelled again.

"What!?" she asked. Standing up, she walked to the door and opened it. The man stared back at her with a mix of horror and apprehension on his face. She crossed her arms and waited for the coward to say something. "Well, did you just come down here to annoy me?"

"No!" he protested. "Of course not." He stepped back and pointed up to the deck. Alice continued to stare at him, waiting for his reasoning for disturbing her. "There's a ship following us. They've raised the Spanish colors."

"Damn it!" she shouted, banging her fists on the doorframe. "It's probably that Carriedo character. He's been after me since we sunk that Spanish ship last year. I hate him. He just causes serious problems for my plans. If we have to stop and fight him every day then we'll never get anything done."

The man stood there listening to her rant, nodding every few seconds. Then he shrunk down a little bit, when she glared at him. "I'm sorry. I just thought you'd want to know."

"No, I appreciate you telling me." She pushed him back towards the doors to the deck. "I want you to go up to the deck and tell everyone to prepare for battle. If Antonio wants to fight, I'll fight him. We just have to make sure he doesn't make it off this ship alive, right?" The man nodded and ran up to the deck. Alice turned and walked back into her room. After shoving the boots on her feet, she started to put the coat on over her white, blood splattered shirt. She paused, however, when a small glowing ball of light flashed in the corner of her eye.

Turning, she identified the light as a small fairy floating near the bed. She shoved her arm through the coat and scowled at the little creature. "I'm busy. What do you want?"

"Oh Alice. You're so mean." the little flying creature said. It giggled as it moved toward her. When it was hovering right in front of her face, it said, "I hear that the Spaniard has caught up with you again."

"Yes, and?" Alice said, quickly losing patience with the annoyance.

"You want him off your back, right?" the fairy said in the high pitched sing song voice. Alice nodded and the fairy giggled again. "Well, then capture him. Put him in the brig and torture him. Then, release him back to England."

"I don't work for the government." Alice immediately protested. "I'm a pirate, not a privateer."

"But, think Alice." the fairy whined, flying around her head and towards the door. Alice followed until it stopped just in the door frame. "If you give the captain of the entire Spanish Armada up to the queen, she'll grant you her protection. Then, you can have the safety of the whole British navy behind you. Admit it, it's a good plan."

"I don't need protection from anyone!" Alice yelled. "I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can, but won't the reward money be another factor in the equation?" the fairy asked with another giggle. "The queen is offering five thousand pounds to anyone that can bring him in alive for trial. You can do that Alice. You deserve that reward for the hell he's put you through this past year."

Alice smirked lightly. "You're right for once. I think I'll take your suggestion. Tell the water spirits to whip up a good storm for me will you? It'll create the perfect atmosphere." She laughed manically again. "Go! I want this storm, now!"

"Yes, Alice." The fairy giggled once more, before disappearing to do Alice's bidding.

A spell done when she was just a little girl had given her the ability to see the spirits and fairies in the world. As the only human that could see these creatures at will, she was granted dominion over them. They gladly did whatever she wanted. Her crew was used to seeing her speak to the air. Most of them just thought she was mad. They never voiced these thoughts to her, of course.

Another laugh ripped its way from her throat as she ran from the room and down the long hallway. She climbed the stairs to the deck and found her crew waiting for their next orders. Just as both of her boots were firmly planted on the deck, a burst of lightening shattered the sky above their head and the thunder shook the very air around them. Some men looked up in horror as the rain started to pelt down around them.

"How will we fight in weather like this!?" one screamed above the howling wind.

"Like we always do!" Alice yelled. "This is their weakness, not ours! You're the best crew out there! That's why you're on my ship! Now, I want everyman to fight his hardest or I'll rip your throats out myself! Kill every one of the worthless insects, but Antonio. He's mine!"

"Yes, captain!" rose up from the crowd of pirates as the large Spanish vessel pulled closer. A few men held their breaths as it drew nearer and nearer. Alice simply stood, with her sword out and ready in her hand, and a maniacal smile gracing her lips.

All the men were soaked to the bone when the other ship was beside theirs. "Drop the anchor!" Alice suddenly shouted. "We shall stay and fight, right here!" The wary crew did as they were told. It didn't take but another moment for the other ship to drop their large anchor into the water. Alice smirked. They had played right into her trap. "Stay here, men! Let the dogs come to us." she shouted. All the men obeyed her command.

Finally, through the rain, men started swinging across on their own ropes. Others stretched huge boards across the relatively small distance between the ships and rushed across. The crew didn't hesitate in attacking the invaders and most dropped like flies as soon as their feet hit the deck. Alice stayed back, watching her crew turn into savages. The slaughter thrilled her until she couldn't contain it anymore and laughter bubbled to her lips. A few men broke through and ran at her. They barely even fazed her and she cut them down without a second thought.

Her elation grew as she made out Carriedo coming across the boards. He stared around in horror as the members of his crew were killed all around them. However, he walked through the battle unscathed. All of Alice's crew members obeyed her and didn't dare touch him. Finally, his olive eyes met with her emerald green ones. She kicked a body out of her way and started walking towards her. His face went from disgust to murderous anger in half a second as he started to run towards her. She simply smiled, only igniting the flame in him more.

He raised his sword and swung at her. She deflected it and sent him stumbling back a few steps. Every time he attacked, she would defend and the force would knock him back. She started laughing at his expression, one of rage. "Come one, Antonio. You used to be so much better than this!" she taunted. "I thought you were big and brave. You seem like a little weakling to me."

"I'm not weak." he said. He swung again and managed to slice into her wrist. With a sharp cry of pain, she dropped the sword. "And that's Captain Carriedo to you." he added. She started muttering something under her breath, closing her eyes and bowing her head. Assuming she was praying, he raised the sword high above his head and started to bring it down towards her bowed head.

Suddenly, a quick hand rose and stopped his sword dead. It sliced into the skin, but Alice didn't even flinch. She gripped the blade and lifted her eyes to meet his. The man's olive orbs widened in shock at her fierce expression. Even as blood dripped down her arms from the wounds she'd received, she stood strong against the intimidating man. His shock turned to fear when her eyes started glowing a brilliant green.

"Witch!" he shouted trying to tear the sword from her hand.

She laughed again and brought up her other hand. It balled into a fist and collided with his face. He let go of the sword and stumbled back. She threw it somewhere off to the side and took a step toward him. He stepped back again and tripped over the dead body of one of his crew members. Alice walked to stand over him. She reached down and ripped him up to his feet. Her injured hand held tightly to his blue coat. She smirked when she saw all the decorations on his uniform.

Alice glanced over and saw her crew, standing triumphant. They pushed the boards into the sea and stopped to hear her orders. "Set our course for England! And get rid of these bodies." the pirate captain said. "And as for you…" she whispered to Antonio.

His eyes widened as she started chanting in Latin. He tried to pry her hands off his coat, but soon fell limp in her arms, unconscious. She smiled, her spell having worked. Then, she called another of the crew over and he carried the limp man to the brig. She ripped his coat off and chained him up. As she left and locked the door, the fairy appeared once again.

"Good job, Alice. It seems like you've won again." it said. "What are you going to do with him next?"

"I'm going to sleep." the woman said, ignoring the fairy and walking down to her room. The fairy followed, giggling a little. Alice continued to ignore the creature as she once again, took off her boots and threw them across the room with her coat. Her spell from her earlier was wearing off and she started to feel the pain in her hand and wrist. She bandaged them quickly with some rags in the corner and collapsed down on the bed. Magic always wore her out and now she had to pay the price of doing two spells at once without any assistance. Her eyes slipped closed and she rested for a moment. Soon, the nausea from the spells set in and she just curled herself into a ball on the bed and tried to fall asleep until it passed.

* * *

**I really want to know what y'all think. I have my doubts if this story is even any good or not, so let me know please. Review! It would be greatly appreciated!**


	2. Escape Attempt

**Yeah, this took a while. I make no promises about when the next will be up. Enjoy. I don't own Hetalia and never will.**

* * *

Antonio woke up in an uncomfortable position on a hard, wooden floor. He blinked his eyes open and found himself completely enveloped in darkness. He forced himself into a sitting position and found his arms were chained to the wall behind him. He pulled against the bindings and winced when the metal cuffs bit into his wrists. He let out a string of Spanish curses and pulled again. He finally, just let his arms fall to the floor and he leaned back heavily on the wall. "Damn…" he muttered under his breath. "I can't believe I actually let the witch beat me. I'm just wondering why she hasn't killed me yet."

The Spaniard sighed and looked down at his feet. He could just make out the outline of his boot in the darkness. His boot! He smiled ecstatically. He always kept a knife in his right boot. If she hadn't searched him while he was out then it would still be there. He slipped a few fingers down the leg of the boot until they came in contact with the hilt of the small weapon. He pulled it out, a victorious grin on his face. Then, he set to work trying to unlock the chains on his wrists. The skilled man eventually freed his wrists and stepped toward the door. He found the door would not budge and there was no handle on the inside. He sighed and leaned against the wall beside it. "At least I'm not chained up anymore." he muttered.

Alice awoke to an annoying giggling beside her ear. She snapped her eyes open to see her little fairy friend hovering just above her head. "What is it now?" she asked. She glared at the magical creature, clearly not in the mood for its games today.

"I thought you'd like to know your little prisoner is making an escape attempt." the fairy said lightly. Alice snapped up to attention and stood up. "Don't worry so much, Alice." The fairy laughed. "He's only managed to unchain himself, but there's no way he can actually get out of the brig, right?" The fairy flew around its master once, then disappeared again.

The pirate rolled her eyes and quickly put on the boots she'd discarded earlier. Then, she rushed from the room and to the door of the brig. She unlocked it and stepped inside. She warily looked around, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. Before she could even make a full sweep of the room, however, she was blindsided and tackled to the ground. The sword in her hand fell to the ground and rolled across the small room. She saw the glint of a knife and immediately grabbed the arm holding the weapon.

Antonio scowled. "Witch, let go of me! He tried jerking his arm away. She just smirked up at him and brought the heel of her hand up into his face. This managed to knock him off of her and she tackled him to the floor. Now having the upper hand, Alice dug her long nails into his wrist, trying to make him drop his weapon. He winced a bit but kept his grip on it, his only source of hope right now. Then, he cried out in pain when Alice shoved her own knife into his side. He dropped it. Alice smirked and shoved herself to her feet, leaving the knife firmly embedded into his flesh.

She kicked the man in the side of the head. He yelped in pain and raised his arms to defend against any more unnecessary blows. Alice reached down and grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the wall. As she chained him back to the wall he narrowed his olive green eyes at her. "I'll kill you. Eventually, I'll kill you. You're a damn witch. You deserve to die."

She laughed lightly. "I'm sure Antonio."

"That's Captain Carriedo to you, witch."

"Not anymore." She planted her foot on his chest and slammed him back against the wall. "Your ship is gone, the crew is dead. You have nothing left. You should just give up. But no. You're not going to do that are you?" She smirked again and stepped away from him. He glared up at her murderously. She bent down in front of him and ripped the knife from his side. He howled in pain and squeezed his eyes shut, making her laugh manically. She watched as he pressed one of his hands against the bleeding wound. His eyes turned up to meet with hers in another glare. "There's a fire in your eyes Antonio. You have this energy coming from you. You'll never stop fighting, will you?" She gently pressed the knife against his throat. "Well, not until you're dead."

His eyes widened considerably. "That's Captain-"

"Quiet!" she cut the stuttering man off. The knife pressed harder into his skin. "I'm not going to kill you today. I'm taking you back to Britain to stand trial. You're wanted there. There's a pretty sizable reward for whoever turns you in. And our Queen has no qualms with working with pirates like myself. So, I'll turn you in and collect the reward. And you might have a chance to live. They might let you go." She pulled her knife away and stood up. "But if you try to cross me again, I'll kill you without a second thought. Understand, captain?" she asked, sarcastically.

Antonio nodded, letting some of his hair fall in front of his eyes. He heard her laugh again. The sound sent chills up his spine. He flinched when the door was slammed closed, bathing him in darkness once more. "They're all dead…" he whispered to himself. He recalled images of some of his crew members, his heart breaking slightly. Unlike Alice's crew, friendship not fear kept his crew loyal to him. "But I'm not." He looked up, a new determination in his eyes. Then, he set to trying to plan his next escape attempt.

Alice rushed up to the deck, blinking in the scalding bright sun. The crew raced around her, all doing exactly what they were supposed to do. Her boots thudded across the wood toward the railing of the ship. She smiled evilly, looking down at the churning waters. She let her eyes slipped closed while she muttered a short sentence in Latin. The water below swirled and bubbled. Suddenly, a black plume shot up from the water. Alice turned and leaned on the railing as a man materialized out of the smoke and landed beside her on the deck.

"Hello, Alice…" he greeted her, eyes partially glowing even in the blinding rays of the sun. "It's a bit early to be summoning me."

"Since when have we had a time restriction?" she asked.

He watched as a member of the crew walked past, looking straight through him as if nothing was there. Alice scowled at the man, causing him to quicken his pace. The water spirit smirked lightly. "Sometimes it's good not to be noticed." he said. Alice rolled her eyes in response. "Do you have some purpose for summoning me today?" he asked. "I was having quite a peaceful rest today. I would hate for you to be wasting my time."

"I never waste your time. You're at my command, remember?" Alice smirked a bit. "And I do have a purpose for you. I have some special cargo down in the brig that needs to be delivered as soon as humanly possible. Mostly so I don't have to deal with him anymore."

"And this has something to do with me?" he asked, starting to get impatient.

"You can control the seas and winds correct?" Alice clarified with a smirk.

"Correct…"

"Then, you and your spirits should be able to make the conditions favorable for a speedy, safe voyage." the pirate said. She crossed her arms, daring him to argue with her. He simply nodded.

"I believe that should be a simple task for us to accomplish."

"Good. You're dismissed."

The spirit disappeared with a small chuckle, leaving Alice standing alone by the railing. She watched through her emerald eyes as men walked back a forth across her field of vision. None of them even dared to look at her. She narrowed her eyes a bit when she heard an all too familiar giggle in her left ear. The small fairy flew in front of her and waited for her to acknowledge it. She scowled and rolled her eyes. "What do you want now?"

"Antonio has escaped." the fairy said lightly.

"What!?" Alice screamed, rage building up inside her. Her hands clenched into fists, her eyes taking on a murderous glint. "How the hell did he get out?"

"He managed to slip out of the chains. You didn't tighten them enough apparently." the fairy giggled, receiving a glare from the witch in front of it. "Then, he pried the door open with the sword you dropped earlier. So it's really your fault."

She grabbed at the annoying little creature, but it disappeared from her grasp. She sighed and slammed her palm down on the railing, making herself flinch when pain shot through her unhealed cut. "Damn it Antonio. You might be more trouble than you're worth." The enraged pirate stormed across the deck and started down the stairs, two at a time. Her blonde locks flew behind her like yellow flames as she basically flew down the hallway towards the door of the brig. She found it open, but Antonio was nowhere in sight. She closed the door and searched the small corridor with her eyes, finding nothing. Backing up, she reached for the door to her bedroom, eyes alert. Warily she backed into the room, to retrieve on of her many swords. She quickly closed the door and sighed a bit. Suddenly, she felt a sharp blade press into the small of her back. She tensed up and muttered a string of curses.

"Be quiet or I'll kill you!" Antonio threatened. "I'm guessing with your haughty pride you didn't bother calling anyone in to help you. Now tell me, who has the upper hand now?" The sword was brought back a bit so he could swing his arm around her to place it on her neck. Alice laughed lightly. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he screeched at her. "You really are insane, aren't you? Why are you laughing? Why?"

Alice's face settled into its normal smirk. "I applaud you Antonio. You've actually managed to trick me. But I have a question. What are you planning to do now? If you kill me, my crew will be quick to slay you. If you don't then we'll stay at a standoff down here. You're trapped like a rat. No matter what you do, you'll ultimately fail. So why don't you just drop the sword and go back to the brig like a good little captive. Maybe I won't hurt you too badly then."

"You're not in any position to be making threats!" Antonio scowled, pressing the blade closer to her jugular.

"Neither are you." Alice taunted. She didn't even flinch when the cool metal slid dangerously along her skin. Her green eyes looked down at his hand which was shaking nervously. Taking her chance she raised her foot and stomped on his as hard as she could. Then, she elbowed him in the stomach. Surprised, the Spaniard dropped the sword and stumbled a few steps back. Alice retrieved the weapon and quickly backed Antonio into the wall, the sword pressed into his stomach. He sucked in trying to keep the blade from digging into his flesh.

She laughed manically at the look of fear on his face. He glared at her slightly, as she pulled the sword back. Even without the metal pressed against him, he didn't dare to move. "Just kill me now!" he shouted. "Don't bother taking me back to Britain! What does it matter anyway? They'll kill me as soon as you turn me over anyway."

"Oh, don't be in such a rush, Antonio." Alice said with a dark chuckle. "I promise you'll die eventually. But not right now. You wouldn't want to get your blood all over my floor now would you?" Her hand shot out and grabbed his throat. His eyes widened in fear, and her lips turned up in a cruel smile. He grabbed at her arm, trying to claw her through the fabric of her jacket as she tightened her grip restricting his airways. He gasped trying to suck in air but it was in vain. Alice burst into a laugh when his face starting to shift colors, turning almost blue. Then, she let him go and stepped away. He fell forward onto his knees.

Looking down at the ground, he inhaled as much precious oxygen as he could. "Damn you, Alice." he whispered. She laughed again. He looked up at her, olive eyes in a vicious glare.

Then, he boot connected with the side of his face. He fell to the side, howling in surprise and pain. The toe of the boot slammed into his stomach next, causing him to splutter and cough until he could see red specks coloring the wood next to his head. He felt his arms being dragged upwards and a rope tied around them, way too tightly. Then, he was dragged to his feet by the insane woman. He stumbled and fell again, only to have her slam his face back against a wall.

Finally getting the man to walk, Alice led him back to the brig and threw him down onto the floor. She kneeled on her knees to chain him up, ignoring the harsh glare from the captive. "You were right earlier." he said.

Alice smirked egotistically. "I know I was. But what is it I was right about this time?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead he grabbed her arm as tightly as he could and attempted to twist her wrist around. This was severely hindered by the fact he was chained up and weak. She clawed his cheek, bringing four lines of red to the surface. He winced and let go of her, allowing her to stand up. Another kick was aimed at his shoulder. He bit back a cry of pain and turned his terrifying, green glare up at her.

"I'll never stop fighting you, Alice. From now, until the day we arrive in Britain, I'll make your life hell. You'll always have to look over your shoulder and wonder if I've escaped again. You won't be able to sleep at night because I might sneak into your room and slit your throat. And I promise this. If I ever have a blade to your throat again, I'll use it."

She let the weight of his words sink in before kicking him in the side of the head again and leaving. She slammed the door shut and locked it quickly. She realized after a few seconds, her hands were shaking. She backed away from the door to the opposite wall, staring down at them. Turning, she slammed them against the wall and screamed, "No! He can't hurt me! I can't show weakness like that!"

"Calm down, Alice." said a familiar voice. She looked over and saw the fairy again. "Antonio can't hurt you. You know we'll all protect you from him. Look around, you're completely surrounded by friends." The fairy giggled and motioned around. Alice felt her eyes go hazy for a split second, before focusing again.

A smile found its way to her lips. All around her were the invisible friends that had sworn complete loyalty to her. The fairy had been joined by dozens of other supposedly mythical creatures including a unicorn and a strange flying mint bunny. Spirits surrounded her also, giving her a sense of safety.

She laughed a bit. Eyes glowing slightly. "My friends, you're right. I have nothing to worry about! Antonio is nothing to us but a pawn." A few giggled and whinnies rose from the gathering of the supernatural. Alice's voice rang with finality when the next words left her lips. "We won't let him escape again. Next wrong move he makes, he dies."

* * *

**Review, please!?**


	3. Blindsided By The Witch

**Well, this took way longer than it should have and for that, I apologize. Sorry! Anyway, here's the next chapter. Everyone enjoy. I don't own Hetalia and never will. **

* * *

Alice stared up at the sky where the sun was rising slowly over the horizon. The darkness quickly vanished, as light reached into every corner and inch of the large expanse above. Green eyes lowered to the sparkling water beneath the wooden ship. She gripped the railing of the ship, ignoring the sounds of footsteps behind her. The crew knew not to bother her unless there was some cataclysmic emergency.

Several days had passed since her fight with Antonio and she felt completely at ease with herself. No one could stand up to her. She could take care of the Spaniard if he tried anything. She was sure of it. Her gaze was caught by a glowing light near her hand. Glancing down, she saw the little annoying fairy again. It was walking along the railing. When she did nothing to acknowledge its existence, the fairy flew up to hover in front of her forest green eyes.

She scowled. "What do you want now, pixie?" The fairy let out a giggle and did a few summersaults in the air. "Well, spit it out. I don't have the time to deal with your problems."

"How close are we to Britain, Alice?" the small creature asked.

"A few more weeks and we should be there." she muttered. "As if it matters. We'll be there eventually. And when we arrive, we'll collect the reward money and ship off again. Simple as that." She grimaced when the fairy shook her head in negation. "What!?"

"It's not going to be that easy, Alice. Antonio is currently picking his locks, about to escape again. I just thought you should know." The supernatural creature giggled again and disappeared.

Alice grumbled in impatience and immediately turned and ran below deck. With only a few long strides she was standing in front of the door to the brig. She dug the key out of her pocket and twisted it in the lock. Antonio looked up quickly, a sharpened piece of wood in one hand. He was frozen in the process of picking the chains around his wrists.

Alice's boot slammed him into the wall. His hand fell to the floor and he flinched, the toe dangerously close to his chin. Her foot left his chest to stomp down on his hand. He yelped and let go of the wood he'd worked on for hours to make it into the perfect lock pick. Then, her boot connected with his jaw. He bit into his tongue and felt coppery blood fill his mouth. Spitting, he glared up at her with ferocious olive eyes.

"Damn it, Antonio. I tried to tell you before, don't try anything." she glared down at him angrily. "If you'd just give up and accept your fate this could go much easier for you." The two stared at each other for another few second before Alice bent down to retrieve his makeshift escape device. When she was right in front of him, he lunged forward and head butted her. Alice fell back, mostly out of surprise. She reached up to rub the sore spot on her forehead.

Forcing herself to her feet, she felt the anger boiling in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes started glowing when she started mumbling in Latin. Antonio looked up at her in pure terror at the thought of what the witch would do to him next. Suddenly, he doubled over in pain. His whole body screamed in agony, as an audible one was ripped from his throat. His eyes focused on his arms where the veins were bulging out from under the skin. Another wave of pain rolled through him and he slipped into unconsciousness unable to handle it.

Alice went silent when the Spaniards body went limp before her. She stood straight staring at him warily, hoping he wouldn't wake up again for a long time. Finally, the nausea from the intense spell she'd just cast set in. She stumbled back and leaned on the wall for support. She slid down to the floor and braced her head in her hands.

"You're wearing yourself out, Alice." a voice said in front of her.

She looked up at the fairy again and grimaced. "Well, what would you have me to do?" her voice was shaky from the sudden spell of weakness.

"You didn't have to use magic against him, did you? He was already chained to the wall, completely defenseless. Yet, you used one of the most draining spells you know on him. Why Alice? Why? You didn't need to do it."

"I don't know. I panicked."

"You? But, you don't panic. You can handle anything, remember?" the fairy said with a giggle.

"Shut up, you little annoyance." Alice forced herself to stand up and shakily walked out of the brig. Making sure she locked the door, the exhausted captain struggled to her room and collapsed on the bed. Unconsciousness overtook her and she slipped into a nightmare ridden sleep.

Antonio woke up, his vision fuzzy. He had no idea of the time or how long he'd been unconscious. All he was aware of was the rocking of the boat and the sick feeling he had in his stomach. He blinked, trying to make out something in the darkness of the brig. He held up his hand and found he couldn't focus on it. It was just a blurry streak of white in the dark room.

He flinched back when the door suddenly slammed open. He glared up at the visitor, unable to make out anything other than he was obviously a male. The imposing figure dropped something in front of him. He looked down and could just make out a circular shape with something unidentifiable on it. "Captain doesn't want you dying before we get to Britain. Wants to bring you in alive, she says. So eat up." The door slammed closed.

Antonio could neither see the food in front of him nor stand the idea of eating it. His stomach turned at the thought. He leaned his head back against the wall. Stretching his leg out, he kicked the plate across the room. He slid his eyes closed, finding them useless anyway. He didn't know what that witch had done to him, but he hoped it wore off soon.

He shivered a bit at the coolness in the room. He found himself regretting the decision to chase after Kirkland at all. If he could only get some of his strength back and fight her head on, he could beat her. That is if she didn't use her supernatural powers. But, there was no way to ensure that. He suddenly felt warm liquid on his cheek. He shakily reached his hand up and felt it. He opened his eyes and could just make out dark liquid on his fingers. It was blood. He quickly wiped under his eyes and found more of the dark red substance. Suddenly, his vision went completely black. He frantically blinked his eyes trying to restore vision to them to no avail.

He froze when he heard the squeaking sound of the door swinging open. Footsteps approached him. He pressed himself against the wall when he the sound stopped. "Hello again, Antonio." a familiar British voice said. "What's the matter? Having a bit of trouble seeing?"

"What did you do to me, witch!?" he shouted at her. He heard a chuckle, closer to him. Too close for comfort. "Answer me, damn it!"

"It's just a simple spell. Don't worry about it. Your sight will return in a few hours."

"Why? I wasn't doing anything!" Antonio raised his arms and starting batting at the air, trying to land a blow to the mischievous witch. A boot connected with his stomach and he immediately went from offensive to defensive. He held his arms above his head and curled in on himself to avoid any more blows.

"You're pathetic. I'd heard so much about what an amazing opponent you were, but here you are. You're shriveled up and worthless. I thought it'd be a lot more satisfying to break you, but all I had to do was take away your sight. It's almost disappointing. Can you really not improvise at all? Is there no creativity inside you, Antonio?"

He didn't answer and soon enough he heard Alice leave. The door slammed shut, the sound ringing in his ear. For the first time since he'd been captured, he lost all hope in surviving. He couldn't see himself overpowering her no matter what he did. It wasn't just brute strength either. She was cunning, brilliant. And she had magic.

Alice walked from the room before she doubled over, overwhelm by a wave of nausea. She swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat and straightened to her full height again. She took a few more steps before stopping to lean on the wall. Sometimes she hated using magic. Her green eyes traveled over to see one of the crew walking down the stairs. He froze when he saw her, eyes confused and worried. "Are you alright, captain?"

She nodded and straightened again. "Tell me, how is the weather today?"

"Clear, with the sun high. It's a good day at sea, ma'am."

"Good. That's one thing that hasn't gone wrong today." She took a step toward the man. "Continue with what you were doing."

The man walked around her, after giving a respectful nod. Alice would have laughed at his timid nature, if it wasn't for the fact she was physically drained. Two spells in one day might not have been the best idea. Antonio was more of a pain than he was worth. She made her way up to the deck. The sun beat down on the wood and succeeded in draining more of the captain's energy. She sighed and wearily watched her crew fulfill their normal duties.

"Alice…"

The woman immediately rolled her eyes as the little fairy flew into her line of sight. "What now?" she asked.

"You seem tired. Maybe you should sleep."

"I don't need sleep. I just shouldn't use so much energy in one day."

"Don't lie. You're exhausted. You can barely hold your eyes open. Please, Alice. All your friends are worried about you. Just go to sleep. Close your eyes and sleep."

Somehow the fairies words had a calming effect on the pirate. With a final, "Be quiet, annoyance." the captain closed her eyes. She blacked out, falling onto the deck.

* * *

**And End. Of another chapter. Next one will be more actiony I promise. Anyway, leave a review. You guys know the drill. Thanks for all the support for the story. Thanks for reading. **


	4. Growing Hatred

**Hello, readers! I bring to you the next chapter. I just want to say thank you for reading this and following it. And a big shout out to all my reviewers. You guys inspire me to keep writing. (Cause if no one reviews, then how do I know if anyone likes the story or not.) Anyway, onto the disclaimer. I don't own Hetalia and I never will. Enjoy!**

* * *

Antonio woke up hours later. Blinking, he realized he could see again, but just barely. He attributed that to the darkness around him. He struggled to sit up, feeling impossibly weak. His hand came in contact with something small, cool, and circular. Looking down, he realized it was another plate with a piece of bread and cheese on it. Without thinking, Antonio picked up the bread and took a bite of it. It was hard and flavorless but the poor man was starving. Even so, he put the bread down with a sigh.

The cuffs around his wrists were starting to dig uncomfortably into the skin. He weakly pulled his arm away from the wall only to find himself still trapped by the chains. He noticed his left wrist had become chaffed and started to bleed. "I wish I was dead already." he mumbled.

"Oh, but what fun would that be?" a voice on his left said. He quickly turned his head and found on the wall to his right, another man was chained up. He pressed himself back against the wood, surprised by the sudden appearance of the strange man. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Who the hell are you?" Antonio almost screamed at the man who laughed at his trembling voice. "What are you laughing at? What are you even doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing here?" the man said rattling the chains attaching him to the wall. "The captain decided to take out a bit of frustration on a member of the crew. I just happened to be walking past her when she lost her temper. She beat me and had me thrown in here. Depending on her mood, she'll let me go in a few days, or kill me for entertainment. Either way, I'm here now. Stuck with you. So, might as well make the most of it."

"You're insane!" Antonio yelled at him. "If your captain abuses you like that, why don't you just gather up all the crew and mutiny? Even if a few of you died, wouldn't it be better than to constantly live in fear of her?"

"No, you're insane!" the man yelled back, voice raising in fear. "Don't even say that word. She'll kill you! She'll kill me! It wouldn't only be a few of us, we would all die. You've seen her power. You know what she can do. What she will do. It doesn't matter to her if her whole crew is killed. We're replaceable. But she won't let us walk off this ship alive. Once we join, we're in for life. If we want to leave, we have to die."

Antonio stared at him for a second. He realized the man was completely serious. He probably joined the crew blindly when he was younger and now that he was here, there was no going back. "But, she couldn't possibly kill of you at once."

"She can, and she will. I joined her first crew, when she first took to the seas. Everyone thought she was crazy, a woman going to sea. Many men joined planning to mutiny once they were far away from England. When they tried, she used magic on them and they all died right in front of me. Even the innocent ones. She left me alive so I could warn her future crews. I've seen it happen too many times. There's no way I would ever support a mutiny. I don't want to die by her hand. Not by a spell or her sword. I just want to try and stay alive as long as possible."

Antonio slipped into his own thoughts. The words sent a chill up his spine. He didn't want to even think about Captain Alice Kirkland. He knew what the man said was true, though. She was dangerous. And he had to stop her.

"Do you have any weapons on you?" Antonio asked suddenly. "A sword or even a knife?"

"Um no…" the man said uncertainly. "The captain took everything I had before she threw me in here. I don't have anything."

"Damn it." Antonio whispered.

"You couldn't actually be thinking of trying to escape again, could you? There's no way you could do it! She'd kill you! And me too! Please don't try anything!"

As the Spaniard was about to respond, the door suddenly slammed open. Both men looked to the shadowy figure in the doorway. Antonio felt his heart rate increase slightly at the devil captain's sudden entrance. She walked over to the other man in the room, her boots clicking on the wood. A chuckle sounded from her throat sending a chill traveling down Antonio's spine.

"Well, well." she said in her smug voice. "It looks like putting you two together wasn't a bright idea after all. You're already planning an escape I hear. Well, it won't work. You know that better than anyone, don't you Gregory?"

Antonio could only assume she was talking to the other man. By the look of horror on his face, his assumption was correct. He watched, horrified, as she slowly stepped closer and closer to him. He cowered back against the wall and began screaming his protests and begging her to listen.

"I swear it was all him. I'm a loyal member of the crew. I've been with you since the beginning! Please, captain! I swear I have nothing to do with him. I don't want any trouble for you. I'm on your side. Please cap-"

He was cut off when Alice pulled her sword from the sheath and plunged it deep into his chest. He coughed, blood bubbling from his lips and running down his chin. Antonio gagged a bit. He had never enjoyed death, especially watching someone take their last breaths. He hated it. He realized that he was pressing himself back against the wall, far away from the pirate and her victim. Alice pulled the sword out of his chest and flung the blood off. Some splattered onto Antonio's cheek making him sick to his stomach.

He clenched his eyes shut, not wanting to see the limp body or the wild eyed murderess standing over him. He heard her boots clicking on the floor again, this time towards the door. "I guess I'll leave you here with your new found friend." It took Antonio a second before her words sunk in. She was going to leave that body in here with him. He wouldn't be able to handle that. His eyes snapped open and he looked pleadingly up at her.

"Wait!" he called, causing her to pause in her retreat. "Please, don't leave me with that thing. Don't do that! Even you can't be that cruel!" He doubted the words as soon as they left his lips. Her smirk seemed to prove his doubts correct.

Without another word, she slammed the door shut. An uneasy feeling over took him as he turned to look at the limp form. In the darkness he could only make out the shape of the man. He could hardly believe that just a minute ago he'd been talking to him. He hated death. He hated Alice. The darkness seemed to be closing in around him. He found himself wanting to scream, to pull against the restraints until he was free. He wanted to get his hands on Alice. He wanted to strangle her. He wanted her to be the one dead. Not this man. Not himself. Not his crew.

"No… This can't be real." he told himself. He shook his head and wiped the blood from his cheek. "This has to be some long running nightmare. It's too horrible to be real. Too horrible…" He kept telling himself this. Over and over in his head. Even though he knew it wasn't true, it gave him something to focus on besides the body in the corner or the fact that Alice could kill him at any time. He felt so weak compared to her. And it didn't help that he was starving. He looked down and realized the bread was still there. He reached for it, but his stomach turned at the thought of eating it. He threw it against the door.

He winced when the cuff dug deeply into his wrist. He looked down and saw drops of blood dripping down on the floor. He dropped his arm and leaned his head back on the wall. "I wish I was already dead." he whispered for the second time that day.

Alice walked away from the brig with a smirk still etched onto her face. As she ascended the stairs leading up to the deck, a fit of laughter erupted from her throat. She'd just killed the oldest member of her crew, and scared the hell out of Antonio in the process. So far it was a good day. She continued laughing in this manner even as the crew all turned to look at her in bewilderment. The few that were close enough to her noticed the blood on her hands and lowered their eyes realizing what must have happened.

Alice ignored everyone, her laughter becoming louder and more menacing. She stared up at the blue sky which was quickly being covered by a thick layer of clouds. Thunder rumbled in the distance, causing the mad laughter to escalate. The crew all backed away, trying their best to keep away from her. Suddenly, she ran to the railing. Gripping it tightly, she leaned over the edge and screamed at the waves. "Bring the rain! I want it to pour!"

A voice that no one but the witch could hear spoke from the churning water. "As you wish, Alice." She turned, leaning back against the railing and smiling up at the now dark sky. A few of the crew members uncertainly started walking back toward the stairs. They obviously wanted to be below deck before the storm broke loose. But they also didn't want their captain to turn her crazy anger upon them for leaving.

The sky was split open by a bright flash of lightening, then the heavens raised the flood gates. Rain water fell upon the deck. Men immediately ran below deck, trying to avoid the pounding rain. Every drop felt like a blow made against the skin. Even so, Alice stood on the deck, face looking up towards the sky. Her face was stretched into a mad grin and the laughter bubbled up from her chest again.

The fairy appeared by her side, flying up in front of her face. "Alice are you insane, summoning a storm like this?" it asked with a hint of worry tinging its high pitched voice.

"Don't worry so much annoyance!" Alice shouted over the sound of the rain and rumbling thunder. "Enjoy the storm! Enjoy the fact that he's beaten. We've won! We broke his spirit!"

"Oh, really? You don't remember the fact that you've grown weaker in magic. Because you keep overdoing it. If you don't stop then you could hurt yourself. You can handle him without magic, I know it. If you keep tiring yourself out like you did yesterday, with two supremely powerful spells, I'm afraid of what might happen. Please, don't do anything stupid Alice. Don't think it's going to be easy. Don't think just because you killed a man in front of him that he's given up. He hasn't and he'll kill you if he gets the chance."

Alice fell silent absorbing what the fairy was saying. After a few minutes, she flung her soaking wet hair over her shoulder and smirked widely. "Don't be like that. I can handle it." The fairy disappeared, leaving the captain completely alone on the deck. With the flying pest gone, the smile fell off Alice's face. She clenched her hands into fist, nails drawing blood from her palms.

Doubt started to slip into her thoughts. The fairy might be right. She had been using magic a lot more lately and was definitely showing signs of weakness. Antonio might be able to beat her if he ever got out of the brig again. The best option might be to kill him now, but then she wouldn't get the reward money. And the struggle would have been for nothing.

She couldn't kill him just yet. She'd hold out for a few more days to see what he was going to do. If she felt threatened again, she'd kill him for sure. But until then, she'd just wait and see.

* * *

**Hope you enjoy it! Review please?**


	5. Doubts and Fears

**Sorry it took so long on this chapter. I just haven't had anytime to write recently. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. The next one will be more actiony than this one. I'm going to start to move the plot along a little. I'm sorry if the story's been kind of stagnant and boring up until now. I'm trying to get better than that. So, changes are coming. I really hope you all keep coming back to read it. I love all my readers. Remember, I don't own Hetalia and never will.**

* * *

Antonio sat in the cell for hours, days. He really couldn't tell anymore. Eventually men came and dragged the corpse from the room, which made him feel a little more comfortable. He ate whatever food was thrown in at him, just to keep his strength up for as long as possible. Even so, the rations became smaller and smaller each day. He feared for when they would stop feeding him all together. This was his routine. Wake up, eat, and then worry about what was coming for him until he fell back asleep.

The days ran together, and eventually he stopped caring about his life. He even started to welcome the thought of death. He also took notice of Alice's absence. He planned what he would say for the next time he saw her. He would provoke her, maybe enough to make her end his suffering. He hadn't the means to stop the agony, but if he made the pirate mad enough, she might do it for him. He could pick at her pride.

He truly did still want to take revenge on Alice for the evil sins she had committed against him, his crew, and most likely dozens of other people. Even this, however, did not amount to much when he thought about his fear of being trapped in his current situation. He knew when he arrived in Britain, he would simply be imprisoned again. He couldn't bear the thought of returning to the exact same circumstances.

Alice avoided the cell as much as possible. She refused to use magic, trying to earn back some of the energy she had lost. Her magical friends avoided her. For the first time since she was young, she felt truly alone. In truth, the only thing the pirate captain truly wanted was to get the Spaniard off her ship and continue on with her normal life.

The crew seemed to take notice of her uneasiness. They continued on with their normal activities and pretended not to. Though they saw how she was starting to fear the Spanish captain, it didn't change the fact that they were far more scared of her. She lost her temper more often than before, also.

Alice was lying in her bed, trying to sleep after another long day out in the hot sun. However, every time she closed her eyes, she found herself plagued by the image of Antonio's face. Finally, giving up she jumped to her feet and left the bedroom. As the British pirate passed the brig, a sound from inside caused her to pause. Her ears tuned in to the sound of clinking metal inside. Either Antonio had just moved a bit, causing his chains to rattle together, or he was attempting to pick the lock again. The second possibility terrified the young captain. She immediately pulled the keys from her pocket and opened the door.

Alice froze once the door was open, revealing the still sleeping Spaniard inside. She quietly entered the room, careful not to wake him. Looking around the small space, she realized there was nothing that he could use to pick the locks. She exhaled and leaned back against the wall in relief. She tensed up when the prisoner stirred in his light sleep.

His olive green eyes blinked open and slowly focused on her. He immediately scowled at the pirate and sat up a little straighter. "What do you want from me, you greedy disgusting leech?"

Alice scowled back, walking towards the chained man. She tried to look confident as her heels clicked against the wooden boards of the floor. She crossed her arms and planted one of her feet against his chest. Slamming him back against the wall, she sneered down at her pathetic looking prisoner. "I think you've forgotten your place, Antonio. Remember who is in control here."

He scowled up at her, eyes not showing a hint of the fear they used to. "I remember perfectly well, Alice. I also remember the past few weeks you've been avoiding me like the plague. What's the matter, pirate? You scared of your little prisoner."

Alice stumbled back, eyes widening in shock. She would have never guessed he would ever catch on to her doubts. She found her gaze locked on his burning, olive eyes. After a second, his scowl turned into a smirk. "You really are scared of me. That's a bit pathetic if you ask me."

"Shut up!" she yelled at him suddenly. Dropping to her knees, the pirate grabbed onto the remnants of his tattered shirt and pulled him up to look her in the eyes. "Listen to me, you're in no position to be jesting or threatening me. I could kill you right now. I have a whole crew of brilliant fighters at my disposal, ready to do anything I say. I'll kill you without a second thought and dump you into the ocean, understand? You're nothing to me! Nothing!"

The Spaniard just frowned, looking down at the hand holding his shirt. "If it's that easy, then why are you shaking?"

Alice slammed him back against the wall and pulled her fist back, ready to release an onslaught of punches on the defenseless man. He didn't even flinch. She slowly lowered her fist. "You want this don't you? You're just trying to provoke me. I can read you like a book, you pathetic excuse for a man." Alice let go of him and stood up. He finally glanced up at her with real fear and disappointment in his eyes. "Don't worry Antonio. I won't kill you. I'll make sure you make it safely to Britain."

Alice threw her head back as a maniacal laugh bubbled up from her chest. She quickly walked from the room and slammed the door behind her. Inside the small room, Antonio yelled at her to come back. "Come in here and face me like a true captain! You're just scared of me, that's all!"

She brushed him off and walked back to her own room. The idea of her ever fearing the helpless man inside the brig made the woman laugh even more. As soon as she'd shut the door to her room, a familiar fairy appeared near Alice's head.

"So, you're not scared of your prisoner anymore?" the little creature said.

"Of course not." Alice said with a smirk. "What kind of captain would I be if I were?"

The fairy giggled. "I know you're not serious, Alice. Yesterday you were terrified of him."

"I don't know what you talking about." the pirate said, launching herself onto the bed. She stretched out, after kicking the boots of her feet.

"It's good to have you back, Alice." the fairy said after a moment.

"And it's good to be back." Alice smiled a bit before letting herself drift into unconsciousness.

Antonio yelled for almost half an hour to get the pirate captain to come back. Finally, he stopped and glared at the floor. He couldn't understand how she had caught on to his act. He couldn't bring himself to believe that she was that bright, but inside he knew she just might be. Desperately, he started clawing at the chains around his wrist, wishing to God he had some way of unlocking them. He eventually settled on just pulling until the metal cut into his flesh making him bleed.

The man froze again when he heard a key turning in the lock. He looked up as the door opened to a young man from the crew. Antonio stared at him in confusion, not knowing what he could possibly want from him. Quickly the man entered the brig and closed the door.

"Alright, scum." he said glaring at the chained man. "I want you to know something. I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for my crew. For me. To ensure I make it home to my family. To ensure we all do."

"What are you talking about?" Antonio asked suspiciously, as the man dropped to his knees. He grabbed the others wrist. Before Antonio could react, the man had unlocked the chain, freeing his arm from the metal constraints. He quickly unlocked the other arm, too.

Antonio just stared at him as he stood back up. "Alice is becoming more and more unstable." the man started to explain. "I watched her kill two men today for simply looking at her the wrong way. Now, please, you're the last hope. I know you can beat her. You can stop her brutal ways." The pirate took a shiny knife from his pocket and handed it to the Spaniard. Antonio took it and watched as the man walked back to the door. "Don't try getting out until tomorrow when they bring you food. Then go after the captain."

"Thank you." the formerly chained man said gratefully.

"Don't bother saying such things. Just do what I ask." The unnamed man quickly exited the room, leaving Antonio alone again.

The Spaniard looked down at the knife in his hand. He could just make out the shape of it in the darkness. It seemed like a new hope had risen in him. Maybe he could take revenge on Alice and get away from his captivity. He knew deep inside, he should have never stopped fighting. Now, as he slipped the knife into his pocket, he was determined to kill the witch.

* * *

**The end! Of the chapter! Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review. It would be very much appreciated. **


	6. Fighting Chance

**Here's the chapter. I don't own Hetalia and never will.**

* * *

Antonio sat slumped against the wall as the door to the brig was unlocked and slowly opened. As the man who normally brought in his food entered the room, Antonio jumped to his feet. Grabbing the man by the color of his shirt, he slammed his head back against the wall. The poor man fell to the ground unconscious. Antonio took a few shaky steps to ensure he could walk properly after the weeks in the brig.

This was it. He took a deep breath and pulled the knife out of his pocket. He had to be quick about this. If a member of the crew found him, he would kill him. If he took too long, Alice would use some sort of magic on him, and he would lose. He wouldn't get another chance. If he didn't kill her while he had the chance, he wouldn't live much longer.

Carefully, he stepped out of the brig and shut the door. He didn't want anyone getting suspicious. First he walked down to the witch's bedroom. If he was lucky, she'd be sound asleep. She wasn't of course, so he regretfully made his way to the stairs leading to the deck. The knife tightened in his grip as the man stepped into the sunlight. He was blinded at first, unable to make out much more than a few figures moving around.

Finally, his eyes adjusted and he said a quick prayer up to God, thanking Him for not being recognized by the crew. He looked around and spotted a familiar woman walking away from where he was standing. Her boots clicked across wood, long hair blowing back in the slight breeze.

Antonio quickly began walking after her. He tried to look as casual as possible, keeping his head low and praying no one would realize it was him. He looked down at the glittering blade before his olive eyes focused back on her. Suddenly, the pirate stopped walking, her muscles tensing up. The Spaniard quickly broke into a run towards her. Just as he raised the knife to plunge it into her back, she turned grabbing the blade.

Alice sneered at him. "Idiot! You didn't think I would be aware you were following me. Did you really think you could even accomplish this?"

Antonio desperately tried to wrench the blade from her grasp, but she held tightly. Even as blood trickled down towards the deck. Not knowing what else to do, the captive raised his other hand and threw a punch. Without effort Alice blocked it and pushed him down to the deck.

Alice threw the knife still in her hand a few feet away. Then, she aimed a kick at the defenseless man's face. Antonio howled in pain as the toe of her point connected with his jaw. His mind going blank for any other ideas, he started crawling towards the knife. Alice kicked him in the side, surely breaking a few ribs.

Eventually, Alice bent and grabbed the man's shirt to pull him up to eye level with her. "You're so pathetic." she spat. "I've never seen some one as broken as you. Don't you know that you can't beat me?"

Antonio raised his hands and wrapped them around Alice's wrists. He tried tugging on them to remove her hands, but she held him firmly in her grasp. Looking around for something to help him, he saw the whole crew was watching intently, waiting to see how it played out. His eyes desperately went to the knife, still far out of his reach before looking down at her hands again.

That's when he noticed the red stain on his shirt, coming from the still open wound in her hand. She was still bleeding… She didn't heal herself like she normally did. Could she not use magic right now? What was going on? His eyes wandered down to the sword at her hips. An idea formed in his brain.

He dropped his hands from her wrists and let them hang limply at his sides. He bowed his head in a gesture of defeat, eliciting a loud cackle from the witch. "Giving up so easily, Antonio?" she teased, tightening her grip and pulling him slightly closer. He let his knees go weak so he was basically dangling from the pirate captain's hold. "I expected better from you." she said in an almost disappointed tone.

With any warning for the witch, Antonio reached out and grabbed her sword's hilt and pulled it from the scabbard. Surprised, Alice let go of him and took a few steps back. "You took my weapon, so I took yours." Antonio said smugly, expertly holding the weapon. He studied the polished metal for a second, realizing how nice the sword was. His eyes rose from the weapon to Alice's furious expression.

She glanced over at the knife, laying on the deck. Antonio, however, saw her plan and moved between the glistening blade and her. She screamed at him furiously before another shout was heard behind her. A crew member, suddenly threw his own sword toward her. She caught it, and turned with a smug look on her face.

"I guess now it comes down to who the better fighter is." Antonio said, mimicking her expression.

"You've lost to me once before, you slime. Don't think you have a chance in hell this time."

The Spaniard simply grinned before altering his stance to one suited for fighting. Magic or not, Alice was a terrifying opponent. He couldn't let himself be caught off guard. In his weakened state, it wouldn't take much for her to win. He would have to outwit her and that was no easy task against this witch of the seas.

He waited. Antonio knew he wasn't ready to go on the offensive. Every time he had, he had lost. The entire deck became silent. Finally, Alice moved forward, her sword raised to strike. Antonio deflected it fairly easily, only to have it replaced by another. He took a few steps back to maneuver around her. She regarded his every movement with dangerously glinting eyes.

When the Spaniard tried attacking her for the first time, she blocked his sword and almost threw it from his grip. Now, out of balance and trying to regain some ground, he was an easy target. And the pirate took the chance, swinging the sword and hitting his arm. He gritted his teeth in pain and stumbled back as red liquid ran down his arm.

Antonio readied himself again, shaking off the fatigue that was starting to overtake him. He glowered at Alice before raising his sword and striking at her again. The pirate pushed him back almost to the ship's railing before stopping to smirk at him.

"You could just give up, Antonio." she said. "There's no need to die like the dirty sea dog you are. Back in England you could get a nice comfy prison cell for the rest of your life."

"Be quiet you witch!" he screamed before clamping his mouth shut. He couldn't let her words affect him like that or the battle would be lost.

She clenched onto her sword tighter, a smirk playing on her lips. Antonio lashed out at her, only to find himself falling forward having tripped over her foot. He smashed face first into the wooden deck and immediately tried to force himself up. He watched a few drops of blood drop onto the deck from his bleeding nose, before whipping his head around to glare at the still standing captain. She stood with a wicked smile on her face, arms crossed, seemingly waiting for him to stand up again. She was toying with him.

Antonio's anger sparked up and he jumped to his feet and jabbed at her with the sword held clumsily in his hand. She simply stepped out of his path of attack. The Spaniard tripped again, catching himself against the ship's railing. He had to calm himself. If he lost his temper now, she would just wait for him to tire himself out before killing him. Or worse, throw him back into the brig.

"Poor Antonio." she said, still grinning at him. "Are you too tired to go on? Want to take a break? I can escort you to the brig and we can start again when you're ready."

He glared at her before straightening up and adjusting the weapon in his hand. "You know Alice, I used to be terrified of the moment I'd have to fight you. But now, I just want it to be over so I can kill you with my own hands."

For a split second, Alice's smirk faltered revealing under her mask of confidence, she was scared she might fail. Antonio took the chance and lunged forward with the sword. Alice barely managed to compose herself in time to block the attack. Her captive fought with new found vigor, forcing her back to the center of the deck. She cried out in pain when his sword grazed across her shoulder. She tried pulling away from the fight to see if the wound was bad, but Antonio was relentless. He kept coming at her, until she finally lost her footing and fell to the deck.

Just as his sword would have cut deep in her chest, she miraculously managed to block it with her own. Antonio pulled away a bit, before swinging the sword again. This time he hit the arm she held her sword in, causing her to drop the blade and grip the wound created.

His anger bubbling up from the depths of his heart, Antonio bent down and grabbed a hold of the woman's coat. He dragged her up and glared deep into her forest eyes, his olive ones shining in victory. "Now, doesn't this seem familiar? Oh right, exactly what you've done to me countless times on this damn ship. But not anymore Alice. I won. You've lost."

"You just think that!" she spat at him, still defiantly smirking at him. "I still have my crew. Kill him!" she shouted the order into the quiet air.

Antonio looked around in fear for a moment, remembering the huge crew that she had. But none moved to fulfill the order she had given. The Spaniard then remembered what the man in the brig had told him. The crew didn't have loyalty towards their captain. They feared her. And now with Antonio having the upper hand over her, they weren't going to help.

Alice's expression changed from smug confidence to anger then to fear. Antonio's mouth stretched into a smirk. "Not so tough now are you." He dropped her to the deck and slammed his hand down into her face. She flinched a bit, and glared up at him.

"You're not so tough…" she whispered. In a low voice, she started muttering a spell in Latin.

Terror gripped Antonio immediately. He was so sure she couldn't use magic anymore. Maybe, it'd been a trick to be able to catch him unaware if the time came. "Shut up, witch!" he yelled, slamming his fist straight into her mouth. She stopped for a minute turning her head and spitting out blood and what appeared to be a tooth.

Then she continued in a louder voice. Antonio felt his heart skip a few beats before it resumed and was enveloped in pain. He clenched at his chest for a second before gripping the sword and holding it to her throat. He choked out in a pain wracked voice, "Stop it!" He coughed a bit when she didn't stop, blood falling from his mouth and falling onto the deck and the witch's face. Antonio pressed the sword harder against her throat. "Don't think I won't do it…"

Finally, Alice quieted, her eyes still glaring daggers up at the Spaniard. Antonio held the sword in place until the pain subsided and he stood up. "You're a witch." he stated bluntly down at the woman still on the ground.

"So? Are you going to kill me now?" she asked, sitting up.

"No." he said, his voice steely and terrifying. His boot connected with her stomach sending her flying back a few inches. "You need to suffer first." He walked over and slammed his foot down on her right wrist. A sickening crunch accompanied her scream of pain. "Suffer the way you've made so many others to." He plunged the sword down and through her hand, pinning it to the deck. Tears pricked in her eyes and streamed down her face. "Not so good at taking the pain you so willingly give out, huh?" Antonio questioned slowly pulling the sword up.

Alice swallowed her pain and quickly shouted a spell that threw Antonio back several feet. He fell, hitting his head on the deck. She used this as the opportunity to stand up and steady herself. Antonio stood also, his vision going slightly blurry from the head trauma.

Alice muttered another spell and the sword in Antonio's hand suddenly heated up as if he'd held it over an open flame. With a hiss of pain, the man dropped it to the deck. He stared at the sword on the ground for a moment, before looking up at Alice again. She ran at him and raised her left fist to fight.

He stumbled back, realizing his vision was messing up and there were two Alices running towards him, not one. He swung at one and hit nothing but air. The real Alice's fist connected with his jaw and he tripped back some more.

He backhanded her, more lucky than anything to have hit her at all, and she fell back to the deck. Antonio saw his chance and he pounced on her, hands closing around her throat and squeezing. Immediately, she realized what he was doing and started struggling for all she was worth. The Spaniard only tightened his grip, effectively cutting off her oxygen supply.

Alice blinked her forest green eyes fearfully and grabbed his wrist with her good hand to try and pull him away. She tried saying a spell but couldn't bring the words out of her mouth. Tears brimmed in her eyes again, as she stared up at the darkening sky.

Suddenly, from seemingly nowhere, a crack of lightening lit up the sky and thunder rumbled directly overhead. Distracted for a second, Antonio looked at the sky where a storm was closing in as if it had been conjured up in that very second. Alice took her chance and kicked him in the stomach, making him release her throat. She gasped for air, sitting up and coughing. Her hand rose to rub her throat, eyes warily watching her assailant.

Rain starting pelting down to the deck, quickly picking up in intensity. The two fighters stood shakily to their feet and glared at each other through the downpour. Finally, Antonio moved towards the sword he grabbed the hilt and straightened up. Alice watched him with a half fearful, half calculating expression.

Antonio looked her over, thinking where he stood in this battle. He was weak from his unknown number of weeks inside the brig and he had a few wounds like the one on his shoulder. However, she had cuts all over her. Her right wrist was snapped in two, meaning she probably couldn't fight with a sword all that well. Also, he had the only weapon near them. It seemed he might be able to beat her pretty easily. There was something bugging him, though.

"So, Alice." he said, careful to keep his voice as neutral and no curious as possibly. "Why haven't you healed yourself yet? I know you can with your devilish powers. I've seen it done."

She stared at him, eyes widening. "I don't n-need to be perfectly well to beat you, idiot."

Realization dawned on him. "You can't do that right now. You've done too much or something, so you've lost some of your powers. You're basically helpless now."

"It's just temporary! I'm still ten times the fighter you'll ever be." Alice shouted at him in defense. Then she stepped back eyes widening in horror at what she'd just said.

She had admitted it. Now he knew, if he could wound her bad enough, she'd die. And this nightmare would all be over. Antonio smiled, his grin almost mimicking her normal wicked expression. Then, he readied his sword and ran at her, already tasting the sweet victory on his lips.

* * *

**Reviews?**


	7. Finally Over Or Is It?

**Hope you enjoy the chapter. I worked hard on this one. I don't own Hetalia and never will. **

* * *

Alice froze for a second as the man charged at her, sword at the ready. In the last second, she managed to avoid him. She stumbled back, falling back and knocking her head against the wooden deck. She started to force herself up, nausea starting to set in.

"Not now…" she muttered. Her green eyes found a crew member a few feet away from her, carrying a sword. Once on her feet, she realized Antonio was smirking at her, just waiting for her to get up. Somehow, the tables had turned and now he was toying with her.

She ran toward him, eyes blazing in anger. He immediately reacted by handing over the sword. She turned to face the Spaniard again, awkwardly holding onto the weapon. Her right hand hung uselessly at her side. Antonio charged again, and she met his blade with her own.

Her eyes bore into his over the metallic blades as each tried to overpower the other. Alice felt herself slipping back, and tried to plant herself more firmly. A particularly large crack of thunder sounded, making the other flinch slightly. Alice took her chance and pushed him back away from her.

"You can do it, Alice!" she heard over the din of the storm. Glancing over she saw all her mythical friends standing back against the railing. "Don't give up!" the fairy shouted at her.

Antonio obviously couldn't hear them. He stepped forward again, sword raised to cut the slightly distracted woman. Her eyes drifted back to him just in time to raise an arm to protect herself. The sword embedded itself into her already injured right arm. She didn't even cry out. She was beyond feeling the pain.

Her sword cut into his stomach. If it had been aimed better, it would have been fatal. However in her weakened state, using her non-dominant hand, it only injured him enough to make him take a few steps back. Alice knew to gain the upper hand again, she'd have to pick at his defenses one at a time and defend herself well enough against him. Her eyes searched the deck for anything that might help her.

Nothing jumped out to her, so she turned her focus back to the Spaniard in front of her. He had his hand pressed to the wound in his stomach, his face contorted in a mask of pain. For a moment, she thought she might have injured him more than she first realized.

"Damn you, Alice…" he muttered. His olive eyes shone through the pouring rain, rage igniting inside him. He adjusted the blade in his hand and ran at her once more. "Why can't you just die!?" he shouted in a fury.

The witch took a step back and ducked low under the blade, cutting her own into his left knee. He stumbled back and fell and she jumped onto him immediately. As he prepared to land a final blow through his chest, cool metal pressed into her neck. She froze, realizing if she moved she was dead. He must have realized the same, staying as still as a statue under her.

She retracted her blade as he did the same and she stood up. He pushed himself out from under her and forced himself up to his feet, clearly supporting all his weight on his right leg. She took the offensive and charged, aiming again at his stomach. He hobbled out of the way, moving back until he was pressed against the railing.

"You idiot!" Alice shouted, feeling triumph already. He couldn't fight with only one leg in proper working order. She could easily win this fight, even with most of her powers gone in the present moment. "You thought you could actually beat me! I'm the best pirate that traverses these waters."

"No!" he shouted back at her, voice weaker than before. He was obviously losing blood very fast from his stomach wound. "You're a coward who hides behind magic and sorcery, believing that makes you better. It doesn't. You're a witch, plain and simple, whether you're at sea or on land. And even if you win this fight, you'll be damned to hell by the God you turned your back on!"

Alice glared at him, eyes blazing with fury at his words. She'd never been religious, but this man had struck a chord somehow. Her heart beat frantically and she looked around the deck at the men of her crew. She realized that they weren't on her side anymore, and that terrified her. She'd been abandoned by them, just like by everyone else.

As Antonio's strength began to wane, he slipped down onto the deck. His olive eyes were still focused on her, even as the life started to flow from him. Alice could see him giving up. His head rolled onto his shoulder, the weeks in the brig starting to catch up to him.

"You can't die on me yet, Antonio!" she screamed at him. "I'll be the one to stop that senseless heart from beating another second!"

Her boots pounded down onto the wood as she ran towards him, sword positioned to plunge deep into his chest. Just as she would have made the final blow, he seemingly snapped back to life. He shoved his blade up through her stomach. It ripped through her body, emerging on the other side. Alice coughed, her body going limp as her life giving blood dripped down the blade and splattered onto the rich, mahogany deck. Antonio twisted the blade for good measure and Alice coughed again, blood coming up from her lungs.

Her blade clattered to the soggy deck as her eyes closed. Antonio grabbed a portion of her wet hair and pulled out the blade. He pulled her to the very edge and tossed her limp body into the ocean below. All around him, he heard gasps of surprise as the men of the crew rushed to look for her body in the churning waves. The dark water quickly swallowed her up and carried her down into the depths.

Antonio dropped the sword and walked to the center of the deck. As he did so, the rain ceased, as the last rumble of thunder was heard in the distance. One man followed him, tears leaking down his face. All the rest seemed to stunned to speak or move or breathe.

"Don't you see!" the man cried happily. "We're free! We're free from Alice! This man has saved us all!" he started clapping and cheering. Soon, the whole crew had joined in on his celebration.

Antonio glanced over. He was just overcome with a sense of relief. He felt like crying and he did so without shame. He looked up to the heavens where the clouds were parting and rays of afternoon sunshine started shining through the thick cover. "Thank you, Lord…" he whispered followed by another short prayer.

"Sir!" he heard and turned to the sound of the voice. It was the man who started the celebration. "We're forever in your debt! How can we repay you?"

The Spaniard sighed and shook his head. "I want nothing of you."

"Please, accept something. Alice has multitudes of gold in the hull of the ship. You could bring it back and be the richest man in your country."

Antonio thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't want her blood money. I can earn that myself. Take it. You have earned it."

"Then what can we do for you?"

Antonio smiled up at the sky, feeling true happiness for the first time in what seemed like forever. "I just want to go home." he said. The sounds of celebration escalated around him at the word. Home. For everyman on this deck, home had been a distant dream. Now, it could be reality for them.

The crew, with Antonio's help, quickly set the ship on a new course, to Spain. Antonio, now fed with his wounds bandaged, was declared the new captain. The Spaniard could feel the ecstatic charge in the air around him as the crew continued the celebration late into the night.

"It's over…" he whispered to himself. Relief fell over him and he joined in with the rambunctious men. Every man on board drank to his heart's content and enjoyed their first tastes of freedom.

Far away from the laughter and joy of the night, a body washed ashore on a deserted island. Wet blonde hair splayed out around her head, her coat of red hiding the stains from the battle she had been in. Covered in cuts and bruises, the still form laid undisturbed on the beach for the rest of the night. Just as the sun was breaking over the horizon, two glittering green eyes opened. One word rose to her parched lips. "Antonio."

* * *

**Don't worry people! This is not the end! I'll be back with the next chapter soon. Okay, so please leave me a review. I sincerely thank everyone who has reviewed. It helps get me motivated to write. So review!**


End file.
